Smart metering and various consumption-feedback systems can be used as applicable technology to encourage end-use energy efficiency in the residential sector. Many studies have demonstrated the positive influence of socially contextualized feedback on the energy consumption of households, but not many such studies dealt with the specifics of low-income households. This paper evaluates the effect of customized consumption feedback and other information interactions on energy-behaviour patterns and energy savings in low-income households. The experimentation process was accompanied by an interactive awareness campaign, with the emphasis being on a proper understanding of the consumption feedback and other complementary energy services provided to low-income households. The feedback actions were customized to tackle the recognised needs of each specific target household, considering both the social aspects and the typology of the dwelling. The results clearly confirmed the importance of customized information and efficiency indicators for specific household groups, with a potential to increase knowledge and develop awareness with respect to established habits and their relevance to energy behaviour.
COBISS.SI-ID: 30061351
The need for competitiveness on the global market is the main driver for industrial companies to systematically and continuously analyse all possibilities for the optimisation of production process and related costs reduction. Modern industrial processes are increasingly complex with highly dynamic energy use patterns. A systematic approach to industrial energy system analysis requires proper understanding of interactions among the main factors influencing energy performance. Also, systematic approach takes into consideration not only efficiency of individual equipment or machines but also their performances within a system where each piece of equipment delivers specific function.% % This paper presents a context sensitive production planning and energy management approach for achieving energy savings and emissions reduction in energy intensive industry. Combination of decision support for production planning and simulation of possible future situations with context sensitive monitoring and targeting are vital elements of proposed approach and are necessary for continuous improvement of energy performance. The proposed approach includes four building blocks: (1) ambient intelligent data acquisition and context processing, (2) energy modelling and emissions calculation including the prediction engine, (3) decision support services and the (4) knowledge repository. The proposed approach has been tested in the real industrial environment and initial testing results are indicating the potential of the proposed approach to initiate sustainable changes in the production process. Also, external factors that are beyond control but which do influence daily operations of energy intensive industrial companies have been analysed, for example process operators' behaviour and variations in production outputs.
COBISS.SI-ID: 29442599
Industrial energy management systems, which comprise software solutions, upfront services, and ongoing monitoring and management, enable industrial companies to actively manage their energy consumption and energy procurement activities. Energy management systems are usually tailored to the specific industrial needs but may offer limited functionalities, mostly as a result of different identified gaps (process simplifications, improper measurement points, a lack of motivation, etc.). A survey was conducted in order to analyse the gaps and use of energy management systems in Slovenian industry. The results of the survey presented in this paper demonstrate that the use of energy management systems in industry is recognised as a potential competitive advantage by most of the addressed companies. Furthermore, motivation was highlighted as an important prerequisite for process and structural improvements and reported to be thus far insufficiently addressed. Furthermore, the importance of strong cooperation with actors at different levels of industry, namely the executive and shop floor levels, is addressed. In the conclusion, possibilities for new opportunities in the exploitation of energy efficiency through the use of industrial energy management systems are discussed.
COBISS.SI-ID: 29442343
Energy efficiency measures and the utilisation of renewable energy sources have been consistently incorporated into the energy strategy documents of the EU Member States in various sectors. Industry, as the backbone of the European economy, is still not sufficiently addressed, since its development is almost exclusively market driven. The importance of the industrial sector for the economy is not questionable, nor is its impact on the environment. More than a quarter of all final energy consumption in Europe can be attributed to the industrial sector, representing one third of the final energy consumption of natural gas and one third of electricity use, with more than three quarters of all final energy consumption of solid fuels. The paper presents an overview of the energy efficiency development trends in Slovenian industry. To assess the development of energy efficiency, an energy efficiency index (ODEX) is applied, also highlighting some of the non-technical, structural changes. Furthermore, the future development prospects of energy-intensive industry in Slovenia are addressed in compliance with the national legislative framework and energy efficiency targets.
COBISS.SI-ID: 29976359
The pursuit of sustainable development entails a strategic policy decision for all modern countries. Greenhouse gas abatement, the utilisation of renewable energy sources, and energy efficiency represent the main pillars of sustainable development. Agriculture contributes a significant share of greenhouse gas emissions and concurrently represents a carbon dioxide (CO2) sink; it thus has twofold opposing impacts on climate change. The carbon footprint of agricultural products is one of main measures for monitoring the efficiency and sustainability of agricultural productivity processes. A model calculation of the carbon footprint in the agricultural sector was developed in order to calculate the carbon footprint of grains, fruit, and other agriculture products based on a calculation of total greenhouse gas emissions resulting from production, from the beginning of the production process to storage and delivery to the final consumer or the food industry. The first obstacles in such a calculation are the availability of input data on energy consumption by unit of land for all forms of agricultural land preparation and other work required for sowing, fertilisation, plant protection, harvesting, internal transportation, and other work. The mineral diesel fuel consumption of tractors with various connected machines and self-propelled work machines (e.g. harvesters or forage harvesters for maize) were measured. In addition, the energy consumption required for harvesting and the internal transport of crops on farms itself was included. The results of the model calculation of the carbon footprint of agricultural products consider the type of farming production for three different sizes of farms and for two scenarios regarding soil tillage and seeding.
COBISS.SI-ID: 29977639